LEARNING AREA: Economic Development
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Economic Mobility Services for Affordable Housing Residents Exploring Resident Services as a Vehicle for Economic Success

Author:

Eric Tjon Burnstein, Megan Gallagher, Wilton Oliver

Year:

2019

Description:

As part of Enterprise’s emerging economic mobility initiative, the Urban Institute has released a research report, Economic Mobility Services for Affordable Housing Residents: Exploring Resident Services as a Vehicle for Economic Success. Enterprise seeks to make housing a platform to economic mobility to help children born in low-income families and adults experiencing poverty move out of poverty and become more economically successful and secure. Therefore, we partnered with researchers at the Urban Institute to do a scan of efforts linking housing and economic mobility interventions. This research identified four promising practices that housing providers and/or service providers working with affordable housing can employ to promote economic mobility among residents: 1) paying residents for training and work, 2) integrating property management and resident services, 3) individualizing services and supports to match residents’ goals, and 4) extending the time frame for services and supports. The study points out that regardless of how services are delivered, even the highest-quality programs cannot move the needle on economic mobility without changes across multiple systems that expand opportunities for residents.